Treasures of the Heart

I attended a meeting tonight and the the topic was three types of treasures: treasures of the storehouse, treasures of the body and treasures of the heart. We had a dialogue to decide which treasure was the most important. An eleven year old, Selena, spoke right up saying, "We can lose our material things or our lives, but we can't lose the treasures of our heart, so that's the most important."

Then she told a story of living in Texas with her mom and brothers in a big house, but they had very little money and it was Christmas. An aunt came and helped them pay their fuel bill so they could have heat. "It wasn't that cold," she said. Anyhow, on Christmas day, there weren't any presents, but the family was together and safe in the big house and it was the best holiday they ever had.

Her story reminded me of my grandmother. I was supposed to inherit her diamond ring, but while she was in a nursing home, she gave it to someone there. I felt disappointed until my mother told me that a few months before she died, my grandmother told her, "I will always remember Susan's kindness to me." That sentence meant more to me than a million diamond rings.

Just like Selena said, material things mean nothing, but friendship and caring for others will stay with us forever, through many, many lifetimes.